Does anyone have experience running this case with a fanless PSU and if so, would running an i5 3xxx without a dedicated GPU present a problem? I plan to get a Thermalright AXP-100 before doing any mild overclocking, but I'm still debating between a Seasonic G-360 and one of their fanless power supplies. My Q11 will not be here until next week and I'm trying to anticipate the end result/build. I've been through the 43 page thread over @ [H] a million times, but would like to get some opinions here.

Components and wattage aside, can a Seasonic fanless X-400 or their upcoming Platinum version work with this case? I'm not looking for opinions on saving money, efficiency, or power needed, but rather Q11 CPU/case temps using a fanless PSU without a GPU. I realize I could go with much lower wattage and pick up a Pico PSU, but I don't want to put too much thought into where things will go. Needless to say, I'm aiming for as quiet of a system as possible. If it helps at all, this will be a media server/HTPC and will be doing quite a bit of transcoding to several devices including one that isn't local. It'll also be running a few of my partners bots for KGS go server (A game with Black & White stones lol). I'm sure I could have gotten away with an i3, but I wanted HD4000 and ran into a cheap 3570K. Thanks in advance!

Last edited by Shiki8 on Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

While I can't specifically say anything for the Q11, I have a Silverstone SG03 with a similar PSU position and an X-400 in place. To do this however you need the PSU venting outwards which with the Q11 could be done with a vent hole cut in the side panel. Otherwise you would be blowing hot air from the rest of the case into the PSU which won't be very good for PSU or CPU.

While I can't specifically say anything for the Q11, I have a Silverstone SG03 with a similar PSU position and an X-400 in place. To do this however you need the PSU venting outwards which with the Q11 could be done with a vent hole cut in the side panel. Otherwise you would be blowing hot air from the rest of the case into the PSU which won't be very good for PSU or CPU.

I don't plan on doing any mods to the case, but what I'm failing to understand is how would "blowing hot air from the rest of the case into the PSU" be any different with a PSU that had a fan? My thinking with the fanless PSU was that heat would go back and up (positive pressure), considering the X400 has ventilation on all sides. Also, when I mentioned mild overclocking with the AXP-100 above, I meant hitting 4-4.2Ghz on stock voltage. I already have a chip that does 4.2 while slightly undervolted.

Q11... I presume you mean Lian Li Q11? Naming the thing and linking it would help your cause, Shiki8.

Personally, it does not look like a great fit for a fanless PSU. The Seasonc X400 (and their other fanless models) are designed to sit "upside down" with the top grill facing upwards. Besides, you'd be way safer with a single low speed fan in the PSU -- for longevity and overall cooling. You've already got that fan in front -- and/or one on the CPU -- as a source of noise. One more in a quiet PSU is hardly going to make any difference.

You might experiment with leaving the fan on that Thermalright HS off. That fan will "fight" with the PSU fan -- if there is one. If there isn't -- ie, with a X-400 -- the AX-140 fan will draw air in from the outside the PSU, which means the CPU will run a bit hotter, but this might be perfectly only, as I'm guessing there'd be plenty of cooling headroom.

I would probably not go w/ a G360 tho -- you WANT the detachable cables, there's very little room for extra cabling (afai can see). Go for a X-560... or similar modular PSU. Its fan will probably not turn on anyway, but you have the assurance that if things get hot in the PSU due to the odd positioning, that fan will protect you.

IMO, a small case with top vent (and top/back position) for the PSU would be a much better fit for a fanless PSU.

The X-400 does not have ventilation on all sides. It has ventilation on the back, top and some very small holes on the front. The vast majority of it is unvented and the only real source of air intake into the PSU if the case fan is blowing through from the front, is via the CPU heatsink, hence a big load of heat being dumped in a passive PSU which is only designed to deal with it's own heat output.

How about the Bitfenix Prodigy? This will work well with a fanless PSU although it is a bit big for MiniITX.

Thank You for the replies and sorry for not putting Lian Li Q11 in the title. My last system (SG05/3570K/Scythe SY1225SL12LM-P running @ 400rpm /GTX 680 running @ 500rpm) ran quiet in 2D mode and I'd probably go back to an SG05 or get a Q08 before I'd consider a Bitfenix Prodigy. I won't be using a dedicated GPU and even when you don't count the handles, the Prodigy is mammoth in size.

I understand why the fanless isn't a good option now. Everything you said makes sense and I overlooked the fact that the top side of the PSU would be right up against the 5.25 bay. Also, I'll be using Thermalright's upcoming AXP-100 (120mm×105mm×44mm), not their AXP-140. Either way I'll test the fan on the AXP-100 in both directions, but my girlfriend (physicist) told me that two fans competing in this situation wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

G-360 vs X-560. Thank you for sharing your opinion on both and while modular (X-560) would obviously be better, I've seen some builds and will have plenty of room for extra cables without blocking the front case fan. I'm OCD when it comes to cabling, know how to be tidy, and I may even sleeve the PSU I go with. Not having a GPU frees up room and I've seen people run the extra cables across the side of the 5.25 and stuff them in that bay.

So I have one question left. I know the X-560 fan will not spin if it's not using enough power (under 20%), but will it spin if it reaches a certain temperature? Considering Seasonic states "The X automatically adjusts fan mode and speed according to the ambient temperature level." right on it's website, I would assume the answer to my question is yes, but wanted to know if anyone had experience with this. Thank You!

Edit: Found the X-560 for $115 shipped over at Ewiz, but I'm going to look for a used one first. Thank You again!

So I have one question left. I know the X-560 fan will not spin if it's not using enough power (under 20%), but will it spin if it reaches a certain temperature? Considering Seasonic states "The X automatically adjusts fan mode and speed according to the ambient temperature level." right on it's website, I would assume the answer to my question is yes, but wanted to know if anyone had experience with this. Thank You!

The X-650 and X-560 have the same fan controller, heatsinks and fan -- the fan behavior is virtually identical. And yes, it's directly tied to a temp sensor inside. Check the X-650 review for fan behavior details. http://www.silentpcreview.com/Seasonic_X650 page 4-5. The fan started to move when the exhaust air temperature was 35C, with a load of 150W in the hotbox. Since your case/system will not be as cooling challenged, I'd expect the air temp not to reach so high at that low a load; outside the hotbox, the fan did not start till well over 300W.

So I have one question left. I know the X-560 fan will not spin if it's not using enough power (under 20%), but will it spin if it reaches a certain temperature? Considering Seasonic states "The X automatically adjusts fan mode and speed according to the ambient temperature level." right on it's website, I would assume the answer to my question is yes, but wanted to know if anyone had experience with this. Thank You!

The X-650 and X-560 have the same fan controller, heatsinks and fan -- the fan behavior is virtually identical. And yes, it's directly tied to a temp sensor inside. Check the X-650 review for fan behavior details. http://www.silentpcreview.com/Seasonic_X650 page 4-5. The fan started to move when the exhaust air temperature was 35C, with a load of 150W in the hotbox. Since your case/system will not be as cooling challenged, I'd expect the air temp not to reach so high at that low a load; outside the hotbox, the fan did not start till well over 300W.

I actually just finished reading the X-650 review, which helped me to further understand how the fan works. I owned the X650 back when I had a Silverstone FT02, and loved it. I realize I'm never going to get anywhere close to 50% of what the X-560 is rated for (lol) and thereby my system won't be running as efficient as it could be, but that's alright with me. I think trading some efficiency potential for easier cable management, almost silent, and cooler will be worth it in the end. Thank You again!

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